Let $G$ be a simple linear algebraic group over an algebraically closed field $K$ of characteristic two. Any non-trivial self-dual irreducible $K[G]$-module $W$ admits a non-degenerate $G$-invariant alternating bilinear form, thus giving a representation $f: G \rightarrow \operatorname{Sp}(W)$. In the case where $G = \operatorname{SL}_n(K)$ and $W$ has highest weight $\varpi_1 + \varpi_{n-1}$, and in the case where $G = \operatorname{Sp}_{2n}(K)$ and $W$ has highest weight $\varpi_2$, we determine for every unipotent element $u \in G$ the conjugacy class of $f(u)$ in $\operatorname{Sp}(W)$. As a part of this result, we describe the conjugacy classes of unipotent elements of $\operatorname{Sp}(V_1) \otimes \operatorname{Sp}(V_2)$ in $\operatorname{Sp}(V_1 \otimes V_2)$.
Let $G$ be a connected reductive algebraic group over an algebraically closed field of characteristic $p \ge 0$. We give a case-free proof of Lusztig's conjectures [Unipotent elements in small characteristic, {\em Transform. Groups} 10 (2005), 449--487] on so-called unipotent pieces. This presents a uniform picture of the unipotent elements of $G$ which can be viewed as an extension of the Dynkin--Kostant theory, but is valid without restriction on $p$. We also obtain analogous results for the adjoint action of $G$ on its Lie algebra $\gl$ and the coadjoint action of $G$ on $\gl^*$.
This paper provides new, relatively simple proofs of some important results about unipotent classes in simple linear algebraic groups. We derive the formula for the Jordan blocks of the Richardson class of a parabolic subgroup of a classical group. This result was originally due to Spaltenstein. Secondly, we derive, for good characteristic, the description of the natural partial order of unipotent classes of a classical group in terms of their Jordan blocks. This result was originally due to Gerstenhaber and Hesselink. As a consequence we obtain a proof of the Bala--Carter Theorem which holds …
Let $U_n$ denote the group of $n\times n$ unipotent upper-triangular matrices over a fixed finite field $\FF_q$, and let $U_\cP$ denote the pattern subgroup of $U_n$ corresponding to the poset $\cP$. This work examines the superclasses and supercharacters, as defined by Diaconis and Isaacs, of the family of normal pattern subgroups of $U_n$. After classifying all such subgroups, we describe an indexing set for their superclasses and supercharacters given by set partitions with some auxiliary data. We go on to establish a canonical bijection between the supercharacters of $U_\cP$ and certain $\…
The current article continues a series of papers on decomposition of unipotents and its applications. Let $G(Φ,R)$ be a Chevalley group with a reduced irreducible root system $Φ$ over a commutative ring $R$. Fix $h\in G(Φ,R)$. Call an element $a\in G(Φ,R)$ "good", if it lies in the unipotent radical of a parabolic subgroup whereas the conjugate to $a$ by $h$ belongs to another proper parabolic subgroup (here we assume that all parabolics contain a given split maximal torus). Decomposition of unipotents is a representation of a root unipotent element as a product of "good" elements. Existence o…
Describing the conjugacy classes of the unipotent upper triangular groups $\mathrm{UT}_{n}(\mathbb{F}_{q})$ uniformly (for all or many values of $n$ and $q$) is a nearly impossible task. This paper takes on the related problem of describing the normal subgroups of $\mathrm{UT}_{n}(\mathbb{F}_{q})$. For $q$ a prime, a bijection will be established between these subgroups and pairs of combinatorial objects with labels from $\mathbb{F}_{q}^{\times}$. Each pair comprises a loopless binary matroid and a tight splice, an apparently new kind of combinatorial object which interpolates between nonnesti…
In this paper we prove the following result. Let $G$ be a simply connected simple linear algebraic group of exceptional Lie type over an algebraically closed field $F$ of characteristic $p\geq 0$, and let $u\in G$ be a nonidentity unipotent element. Let $ϕ$ be a non-trivial irreducible representation of $G$. Then the Jordan normal form of $ϕ(u)$ contains at most one non-trivial block if and only if $G$ is of type $G_2$, $u$ is a regular unipotent element and $\dim ϕ\leq 7$. Note that the irreducible representations of the simple classical algebraic groups in which a non-trivial unipotent eleme…
In 1878, Jordan showed that a finite subgroup of GL(n,C) contains an abelian normal subgroup whose index is bounded by a function of n alone. Previously, the author has given precise bounds. Here, we consider analogues for finite linear groups over algebraically closed fields of positive characteristic l. A larger normal subgroup must be taken, to eliminate unipotent subgroups and groups of Lie type and characteristic l, and we show that generically the bound is similar to that in characteristic 0 - being (n+1)!, or (n+2)! when l divides (n+2) - given by the faithful representations of minimal…
In 1878, Jordan proved that if a finite group $G$ has a faithful representation of dimension $n$ over $\mathbb{C}$, then $G$ has a normal abelian subgroup with index bounded above by a function of $n$. The same result fails if one replaces $\mathbb{C}$ by a field of positive characteristic, due to the presence of large unipotent and/or Lie type subgroups. For this reason, a long-standing problem in group and representation theory has been to find the "correct analogue" of Jordan's theorem in characteristic $p>0$. Progress has been made in a number of different directions, most notably by Braue…
In this note, we prove that if every character of a finite group $G$ fixed by an order-2 Galois automorphism has odd degree, then $G$ has a normal Sylow $2$-subgroup. On the way, we study extensions of characters of $GL_n(q)$, $q$ odd, to the group extended by the transpose-inverse automorphism and prove that unipotent characters of $PSL_n(q)$ extend to rational characters of its automorphism group.
Let $G$ be a classical group with natural module $V$ and Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$ over an algebraically closed field $K$ of good characteristic. For rational irreducible representations $f: G \rightarrow \operatorname{GL}(W)$ occurring as composition factors of $V \otimes V^*$, $\wedge^2(V)$, and $S^2(V)$, we describe the Jordan normal form of $\mathrm{d} f(e)$ for all nilpotent elements $e \in \mathfrak{g}$. The description is given in terms of the Jordan block sizes of the action of $e$ on $V \otimes V^*$, $\wedge^2(V)$, and $S^2(V)$, for which recursive formulae are known. Our results are…
Let $V$ be a finite-dimensional vector space over a field of characteristic two. As the main result of this paper, for every nilpotent element $e \in \mathfrak{sl}(V)$, we describe the Jordan normal form of $e$ on the $\mathfrak{sl}(V)$-modules $\wedge^2(V)$ and $S^2(V)$. In the case where $e$ is a regular nilpotent element, we are able to give a closed formula. We also consider the closely related problem of describing, for every unipotent element $u \in \operatorname{SL}(V)$, the Jordan normal form of $u$ on $\wedge^2(V)$ and $S^2(V)$. A recursive formula for the Jordan block sizes of $u$ on…
Let G be a semisimple algebraic group over a field K whose characteristic is very good for G, and let sigma be any G-equivariant isomorphism from the nilpotent variety to the unipotent variety; the map sigma is known as a Springer isomorphism. Let y in G(K), let Y in Lie(G)(K), and write C_y = C_G(y) and C_Y= C_G(Y) for the centralizers. We show that the center of C_y and the center of C_Y are smooth group schemes over K. The existence of a Springer isomorphism is used to treat the crucial cases where y is unipotent and where Y is nilpotent. Now suppose G to be quasisplit, and write C for the …
Given a toric affine algebraic variety $X$ and a collection of one-parameter unipotent subgroups $U_1,\ldots,U_s$ of $\mathop{\rm Aut}(X)$ which are normalized by the torus acting on $X$, we show that the group $G$ generated by $U_1,\ldots,U_s$ verifies the following alternative of Tits' type: either $G$ is a unipotent algebraic group, or it contains a non-abelian free subgroup. We deduce that if $G$ is $2$-transitive on a $G$-orbit in $X$, then $G$ contains a non-abelian free subgroup, and so, is of exponential growth.
The main component of (constructive) recognition algorithms for black box groups of Lie type in computational group theory is the construction of unipotent elements. In the existing algorithms unipotent elements are found by random search and therefore the running time of these algorithms is polynomial in the underlying field size $q$ which makes them unfeasible for most practical applications \cite{guralnick01.169}. Meanwhile, the input size of recognition algorithms involves only $\log q$. The present paper introduces a new approach to construction of unipotent elements in which the running …
In the present paper, which is a direct sequel of our paper [12] joint with Roozbeh Hazrat, we prove unrelativised version of the standard commutator formula in the setting of Chevalley groups. Namely, let $Φ$ be a reduced irreducible root system of rank $\ge 2$, let $R$ be a commutative ring and let $I,J$ be two ideals of $R$. We consider subgroups of the Chevalley group $G(Φ,R)$ of type $Φ$ over $R$. The unrelativised elementary subgroup $E(Φ,I)$ of level $I$ is generated (as a group) by the elementary unipotents $x_α(ξ)$, $α\inΦ$, $ξ\in I$, of level $I$. Obviously, in general $E(Φ,I)$ has n…
Let $k$ be a field and $A$ be a generalised Cartan matrix, and let ${\mathfrak G}_A(k)$ be the corresponding minimal Kac-Moody group of simply connected type over $k$. Consider the completion ${\mathfrak G}_A^{pma}(k)$ of ${\mathfrak G}_A(k)$ introduced by O. Mathieu and G. Rousseau, and let ${\mathfrak U}_A^{ma+}(k)$ denote the unipotent radical of the positive Borel subgroup of ${\mathfrak G}_A^{pma}(k)$. In this paper, we exhibit some functoriality dependence of the groups ${\mathfrak U}_A^{ma+}(k)$ and ${\mathfrak G}_A^{pma}(k)$ on their Lie algebra. We also produce a large class of exampl…
